Youth-Led Participatory Action Research in Budi County, Eastern Equatoria State
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ttg Final Report Youth -Led Participatory Action Research Budi County, Eastern Equatoria State, South Sudan August 2015 Nadia Lehmann Budi Youth Action Research Team Youth-Led Research | Final Report 2 Copyright and disclaimer Copyright: United Nations Children‟s Fund UNICEF South Sudan, 2015 This is the fourth in a series of “Youth LEAD Knowledge Development”- the Youth LEAD initiative‟s knowledge development series. The “Youth LEAD Knowledge Development” series acknowledges the contributions made by young people in shaping their own development and showcases emerging perspectives and lessons learnt in youth programming through the Youth LEAD initiative. The opinions expressed in this documentation do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of UNICEF, nor collaborating partners. The findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed herein originate from engagement with young people, stakeholders and partners involved in the Youth LEAD initiative. Any part of this documentation may be freely reproduced with the appropriate acknowledgement. Credits: Technical direction and coordination Jairus Ligoo; Youth & Adolescent Development Specialist Technical implementation and guidance at Search for Common Ground Kenneth Ganna-Conteh; Interim Country Director South Sudan Adrienne Lemon; Regional Design, Monitoring & Evaluation Coordinator Adalei Broers; Design, Monitoring & Evaluation Coordinator South Sudan Amzah Juma; Design, Monitoring & Evaluation Officer South Sudan Nadia Lehmann; External Consultant This report is has been compiled and produced with financial support from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development- Canada For further information contact: UNICEF South Sudan Toto Chan Compound, P. O. Box 45, Juba, South Sudan www.unicef.org/southsudan www.facebook.com/unicefsouthsudan Youth-Led Research | Final Report 3 Acknowledgement This report was made possible by the many young people and other stakeholders who participated and supported the Youth-Led Participatory Action Research in Budi County, Eastern Equatoria State. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, ideas and suggestions. About YOUTH LEAD initiative Leadership, Empowerment, Advocacy and Development Youth LEAD is an initiative supported by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), in partnership with UNICEF, government (Ministry of culture, Youth and Sports, Ministry of General Education and Instruction) and NGO partners. It recognizes and strengthens the capacity of both rights holders (children and youth) to make their claims and duty bearers (parents, communities, policy makers, government and civil society service providers) to meet their obligations; while strengthening communication between both parties and across multiple sectors. Of particular importance, the initiative engages young women and men as key actors in their own development. The same is true of key line ministries and civil society organizations (CSOs) providing services to youth. Engaging beneficiaries is intended to develop capacity, accountability, ownership, and sustainability. South Sudan has experienced more years of war than peace. But today, after a generation of war, South Sudan is facing a new moment of hope if the transitional peace opportunity is seized to promote long-term peace and development. The large youth population in South Sudan represents an opportunity for peace building, development, and leadership. However, young people growing up in South Sudan today face many inter-related risks and vulnerabilities. Addressing the key development and peace building priorities of South Sudan‟s youth is central to ensuring sustainable recovery and peace building. Youth LEAD is implemented in three states (Upper Nile, Jonglei and Eastern Equatoria), the Project has five main components, as outlined below. Component 1 – Youth Friendly Spaces and Services: Under this component, Youth Friendly Spaces/Centers (YFS) will be developed to offer demand-driven social services, and a place where youth feel they belong with services for both boys'/men's and girls'/women's different needs based on consultations with girls/women and boys/men. Component 2 – Basic Education, Skills Training and Livelihoods: Youth LEAD will provide basic education and skills training opportunities linked to livelihood and employment programming via the Alternative Learning Program (ALP). The ALP aims to provide learning opportunities for out of school youth by offering flexible schedules, accelerated learning, and community girls‟ schools. It focuses on the provision of youth literacy, numeracy, life-skills and vocational skills. Component 3 – Youth Voices in Peace and Governance: This component aims to provide opportunities for young voices to be heard in society and in the media. Youth will be engaged as Youth-Led Research | Final Report 4 leaders in the process of peace building, and dialogue and advocacy for peace, based on established platforms for communication and messaging. Component 4 – Capacity Building in Policy and Advocacy: This component aims to educate youth on how policy and dialogue can support peace, and to build capacity of partners to effectively develop and strengthen youth-centered polices, to link policy to programming, and to advocate for youth policies and programs that make a difference for youth and their communities. Component 5 – Institutional Capacity Building of Civil society Organisations and Ministries Supporting Youth. Based on further partner mapping and needs assessment, UNICEF will develop and implement capacity building trainings around core management, administrative, and programming functions. Youth-Led Research | Final Report 5 Table of Contents List of Tables ............................................................................................................................ 6 List of Figures .......................................................................................................................... 6 Abbreviations ........................................................................................................................... 7 Executive Summary ................................................................................................................. 8 Methodology ....................................................................................................................... 8 Limitations .......................................................................................................................... 9 Key Findings ...................................................................................................................... 9 Recommendations ............................................................................................................10 1. Background Information .....................................................................................................11 Context ................................................................................................................................11 National Level ...................................................................................................................11 Eastern Equatoria..............................................................................................................11 Budi County .......................................................................................................................12 Project Overview .................................................................................................................12 2. Methodology ........................................................................................................................13 Approach to Research ........................................................................................................13 Research Process .............................................................................................................14 The Research Team ............................................................................................................15 Research Questions ...........................................................................................................15 Target Population & Sampling ...........................................................................................16 Researchers’ Data Collection Activities & Tools ..............................................................18 Researchers’ Data Analysis ...............................................................................................19 Limitations ...........................................................................................................................19 3. Programmatic Challenges ..................................................................................................20 4. Findings ...............................................................................................................................22 Understanding and Meaning of Conflict ............................................................................22 Types of Conflict in Budi County ........................................................................................23 Drivers of Conflict in Budi County .....................................................................................23 Alcoholism .........................................................................................................................23 Poverty, Resources and Dowry .........................................................................................24